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Happy New Year! Let’s Recap On the Last Year at AlternativeTo

The year 2017 has come to an end and we are excited to start 2018 with you. Let’s look back and reflect on the exciting year that has passed, before we look forward to the year ahead.

Lists- A Major Feature Added to AlternativeTo

Perhaps the most exciting update we’ve released on the site was the addition of the Lists feature for users. One major thing that became increasingly clear was the interest users (and the Crew) had in being able to create their own "curated" lists of applications. Everyone on the internet, at some point in the day, is likely viewing a “Top 10 list of…” something. People find it useful to have a condensed and curated list of information or content for a given topic. So we decided to implement this type of feature into AlternativeTo.

The new Lists feature allows AlternativeTo users to create their own "lists" for a variety of contexts. Whether you want to have a “Top 10 List of Graphic Design Applications,” a “Best Applications for Saving Money,” or simply want to keep a list to remind you about applications you want to try later. We hope that the Lists update will inspire users to create quality content and share it with everyone.

The Lists update is still very new and will be updated and improved. So please try it out, use it, and give us your feedback, so we know what features we need to improve or add!

Here are some example lists to inspire you and give you an idea of what they can be used for:

We have also updated how the pricing and license for an application or service is displayed on an application’s page. This will make it easier to find the details of an application’s license and approximate pricing.

HTTPS as Default Protocol

This year we also made updates so that AlternativeTo uses HTTPS protocol by default, rather than HTTP. Many of our users were requesting this, and we knew it was an essential and important update in order for AlternativeTo to join the ranks of other websites choosing to make HTTPS the standard by default.

If you aren’t sure about SSL or HTTPS and what this means for you as a user, here is a quick rundown of what using HTTPS by default aims to do:

Reduces the risks of user data being leaked by encrypting all traffic between your browser and AlternativeTo.

We hope that it shows you, the users, that AlternativeTo wants to maintain a secure environment. While we may not process credit card transactions or host extremely sensitive personal data, it is still important to maintain a high standard of security with any transmission of data online.

2018 and Beyond at AlternativeTo…

So what updates can you expect to see from AlternativeTo in 2018? Well, for starters, one thing we are going to do is update the users more often on what is happening with AlternativeTo "behind the scenes." On the AlternativeTo Blog we will be posting more regularly and periodically on updates planned for the website, address feedback from the community and users, and interesting things the AlternativeTo Crew is working on. We hope that this will keep you all, the users, more informed about the things going on with AlternativeTo and enhance our communication with the user community.

Also, we plan to improve user profiles in the upcoming months. We will wait until we are further down the roadmap before going into too many details. But you can expect that users will be able to have their profiles be more personable and able to include more information about your contributions to AlternativeTo. This may include things such as Lists you have created and your top application reviews or comments that other users have found useful.

Finally, all of us here at AlternativeTo want to say that we are extremely thankful for our driven users and contributors. We are excited to see how AlternativeTo is growing and proud to see such an enthusiastic community of users that find AlternativeTo so helpful. We hope you had a great 2017. Let's all look forward and hope for a great year to come.